OTTAWA – The federal government issued a call for applications to Internet service providers (ISPs) wishing to service 280,000 Canadian households that are currently without high-speed Internet or with slower access.
On Wednesday, Industry Minister James Moore encouraged eligible ISPs to apply for funding to extend or enhance service to areas in need across the country, via the new application tool kit on the Connecting Canadians website. Successful applicants could receive up to 50% of eligible project costs, and for projects serving very remote or Aboriginal communities, the program could fund up to 75% of eligible costs.
Successful ISPs will be expected to provide services at speeds of at least 5 Mbps to Canadians in areas of the country that currently have slower access, and 3 to 5 Mbps in the satellite-dependent communities served under the northern component of the program. The closing date for applications is January 12, 2015 and the first projects are expected to be announced in spring 2015.
"This call for applications marks the next important phase in our plan to bring the benefits of high-speed Internet to more than a quarter-million Canadian households, some for the first time”, said Minister Moore in the statement. “Providing Canadians with access to high-speed Internet for learning, business opportunities and so much more is key to a more connected, digital Canada."
Minister Moore announced last July that between now and 2017, the government will invest up to $305 million to extend access to broadband Internet at speeds of 5 Mbps to 98% of Canadian households, mainly in rural and remote communities, and speeds of 3 to 5 Mbps in the remote, satellite-dependent communities of Nunavut and Nunavik in Canada's North.
